Beginner

High Row Machine

The high row machine seats you against a chest pad and has you pull handles down and back from an overhead-ish angle, blending the vertical-pull demand of a pulldown with the support and stability of a chest-supported row. The high line of pull keeps the lats heavily involved while the chest pad removes the lower back from the equation, so you can load it hard and safely. Great for lat and mid-back development at any level.

Equipment
Machine
Body part
Back, Lats
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement
Horizontal Pull, Vertical Pull
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi
Secondary
Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head, Brachioradialis, Trapezius Lower, Trapezius Middle
Tertiary
Infraspinatus, Deltoid Posterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the seat so the handles sit above shoulder height and rest your chest on the pad.

  2. 2

    Grip the handles with arms extended up and forward, shoulders set down.

  3. 3

    Brace against the pad and pull the handles down and back toward your torso.

  4. 4

    Drive the elbows toward your hips and squeeze the lats at the end of the pull.

  5. 5

    Let the handles travel back up and forward under control to a full stretch.

  6. 6

    Exhale as you pull and inhale as the arms extend, keeping the chest on the pad.

Tips

  • Keep your chest glued to the pad so the lats and back do the work, not momentum.
  • Lead with the elbows driving down and back rather than pulling with the hands.
  • Do not shrug the shoulders up at the start, set them down before each pull.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Raising the seat until the handles start at chest height. The overhead start is the whole point of a high row; if your arms are not reaching up and forward, you are doing an ordinary seated row.
  • Stopping the pull once your hands reach your chest. The lats finish the job as the elbows drive past the ribs toward the hips, so keep going until the shoulder blades are down and back.
  • Letting the stack touch down between reps. A second of rest at the bottom drains the tension the machine exists to provide; stop an inch short and turn the rep around.
  • Pulling the handles straight down past your face like a pulldown. The line of travel should finish at your torso, down and back, or the shoulders end up rolling forward.
  • Collapsing the whole upper back into the pad at the stretch. Let the shoulder blades travel forward on their own while the chest stays tall against the pad.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps should I do on the high row machine?
Three sets of 10 to 12 with a two-second return is a solid default. The chest pad removes the lower back from the equation, so a set can end when your back gives out rather than when your posture does. Add the next plate once you hit 12 on all three sets without the chest leaving the pad. If the machine's jumps are large, add a rep or slow the return instead until the next plate feels manageable.
What can I do instead of the high row machine if my gym does not have one?
A wide-grip lat pulldown taken to the collarbone with a slight backward lean covers most of the same angle. A band anchored above head height and pulled down and back while kneeling works at home. A chest-supported incline dumbbell row gives the same supported torso, though the line of pull is lower. A plate-loaded pulldown or an iso-lateral high row is a direct swap.
What is the high row machine good for, and when should I choose something else?
It builds the lats and mid-back on a line of pull that sits between a pulldown and a row, with a chest pad carrying your torso, so it is a good first back exercise for a beginner and a safe way to train hard when you are tired or your lower back is sore. Choose something else if your session already includes both a pulldown and a row, since the overlap is heavy, or if you want the stabilizing work that free weights demand and machines remove.

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